PORTSMOUTH — City residents are selling items on craigslist that include truck tires, a David Ortiz shirt, oars, a projector, a wine cooler, a crib, a hot tub and a tugboat.

Wait. A tugboat?

Posted under "boats for sale" is The Tug Alley Too, a 1966 steel-hulled tugboat and waterfront landmark that's been owned for the past eight years by "Captain" Bob Hassold. The captain is selling the tug alone, or as a cruise business package that includes a seasonal dock lease off Ceres Street, proprietary Web addresses, a "six pack license" for carrying six passengers and a customer list.

"I'm ready to hand the ship's wheel over to someone new," he said. "The next skipper can take this venture to a new level."

A 78-year-old Navy veteran, Hassold said he's "at a point in life to slow down a bit."

After successfully selling his wife's Mazda Miata online, he decided to advertise the tug on the Internet, with the hope it'll stay in Portsmouth Harbor.

"We so hope to sell it to someone local," said Natalie Hassold. "We would hate to see all the effort put into it leave the area."

The couple were on vacation in Rockland, Maine, in November 2001 when they saw the 13-ton tug with a 10-knot cruising speed and "fell in love," said Bob. The veseel was then named Matinicus.

"We thought this could be a venture to fill a void in Portsmouth," he said. "So we bought it."

The captain piloted the tug from Maine to Portsmouth, spruced her up and in 2002 gave her new life as a harbor cruise vessel.

A justice of the peace, he's performed on-board wedding ceremonies and renewed wedding vows. He's hosted "a few celebrities" he won't name, and his tourist tug was featured in newspapers, magazines and on television shows.

The couple then began renting the docked tug for harborside gatherings and paired it with waterfront restaurants for "cruise and dine" deals. Eighty percent of cruising customers have been women, Bob said, adding, "I love it."

Operating the tug business from May through October, as well as their nautical gift shop, Tugboat Alley, "is a lot for us," said Natalie. Bob agreed, but his eyes teared when he talked about parting ways.

"He paints it, he cares for it, he loves captaining it," said Natalie. "It is his baby."

Bob's baby is listed for sale at $75,000, for the tug alone. Add the limited liability company built around it, the dock space, licenses and other business extras, and the price is $98,000.

The Hassolds' nautical Bow Street gift shop, Tugboat Alley, will celebrate 15 years in business this May. That business is not for sale and will remain open, Bob said often. And if the tug doesn't sell by the start of the season in May, the couple will operate it as usual.